Christmas Shopping at Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow

This evening after I had finished work, I popped along to Buchanan Galleries to do a spot of Christmas shopping. I was on the hunt for some 'stocking fillers' or small gifts for children and of course with the huge selection of shops at Buchanan Galleries I knew it wouldn't take me long to get everything I needed! I managed to get parked on the street near the shopping centre, and with it being after 6pm I didn't need to pay for parking - an added bonus! I had also expected the shops to be super busy, but it was quiet and I managed to whizz round in an hour without any hassle.

I must admit that I've done the majority of my Christmas shopping online, but there is something to be said about going in person and being able to see and touch everything.

I started off in Lakeland where I bought a few bits and pieces for my children who absolutely love to bake and make sweet treats!

I chose some rainbow cupcake cases (£5.97 for 144), a smiley face chocolate lollipop mould (£4.28) and some lollipop sticks (£1.98 for 50). I also couldn't resist the Doughnut Making Kit (£11.99)...which is perhaps a little large for a stocking but I'm sure it could be squeezed in! We are huge fans of movie nights with 'special hot chocolate' (basically hot chocolate with squirty cream and marshmallows) and so I picked up a pack of three hot chocolate spoons (£4.98)... one for each of us!

Doughnut Making Kit

Next stop was The Entertainer. One item that I repurchase each Christmas is crayons or colouring pencils, so I picked up some Crayola metallic markers (£4) and a packet of Crayola twistable pencils (£3). We have been enjoying playing board games and cards, so I thought that a pack of Uno (£8) would be a nice gift that we could all use. I loved Uno as a child! Lastly from The Entertainer I chose two packets of Shopkins (£2.50 each) - who can resist the cute little Shopkins faces!!

Metallic markers

My daughter is still loving Frozen, so I had to get something along those lines for her Christmas. I found a tin of Frozen characters in Boots... a mini Elsa, Anna and Olaf for £15 in a reusable tin. This is rather pricey for what it is, but with the Boots 3 for 2 offer I decided to make the purchase anyway. Also in Boots I chose a pack of 6 mini lip glosses (£6) and a My Little Pony Rainbow Dash toy (£5).

Mini Lip Glosses

My final stop was John Lewis. I love John Lewis - just putting that out there!!

I picked up two packs sparkly hair bobbles (£4.50 for 3 bobbles), some animal nail art stickers (£3.50), two felt Santa letters filled with chocolate balls (£5 each), a fries and burger rubber and sharpener set (£6), a pack of 24 gel mini pens (£12), a pack of socks each (£6 for girls, £7 for boys) and the most adorable pair of slippers (£12).

John Lewis Kitten Slippers

One of my favourite items from all of the shops is the Customisable Cookie Stamp from John Lewis (£10). You can make your own messages on a biscuit stamper. I think this is such a cute gift for a family or even a friend who loves to bake. My son's reading is improving loads, and I know that he'll be excited to see his name on the biscuits he makes with me!

Customisable Cookie Stamp

I received a Buchanan Galleries gift card in exchange for this post. As always, opinions are honest and are my own.

Review - Nairns Oatcakes

I love oatcakes, and as a family we eat loads of them - more so me and the littlest. She loves a wee oatcake instead of a sandwich at lunch, as do I.

My desk drawer at work is always stocked with oatcakes of some form... this week I've been enjoying Nairns Super Seeded organic oatcakes with tuna - they are just really delicious. I find that at work I'm busy and will snack at my desk a lot, and if I forget to take something fresh, then oatcakes and a wee tin of tuna is ideal for me.

I also have the Nairns gluten-free biscuit breaks in my drawer - the oats and stem ginger ones are fab. My drawer is also stocked with peanut butter, and an oatcake topped with this is an ideal snack to keep me going in the afternoon as I try to steer clear of the sweetie tin!

The littlest loves her oatcakes served with a bowl of soup to dip in, or hummous. Funnily enough she isn't really a fan of cheese!? 

Nairns have some great serving suggestions for little ones, and I particularly love the idea of serving oatcakes with nut butter and apple slices... yummy! Or perhaps tuna and avocado... or for a sweeter suggestion you might like greek yoghurt and strawberries. They all sound delicious and I will definitely be trying these out soon.

Of course, you can't beat oatcakes and cheese. Rick and I love the Nairns black pepper oatcakes for this!

We were sent a selection of Nairns goodies to try, including some Astro Bites for the kids. The Astro Bites are Berry flavour oat mini biscuits and come in a box with five packets. They really are more-ish, and I ended up eating four of the packs before the kids even got near them!! Oops! Needless to say the littlest loved them just as much as I did!

How do you like your oatcakes?

Thank you Nairns for the oatcakes and Astro Bites. Opinions are always honest and are my own.

Gift Ideas - Mother's Day

I think that breakfast in bed and a hand made card would be utterly perfect on Mother's Day (especially if a long lie is thrown in the mix!), but if you do want to buy something, then here are some ideas for gifts.

Personalised travel mug from Snapdragon, £15

I was sent this fantastic travel mug from Snapdragon...

'until it's acceptable' travel mug from Snapdragon

This would make the most perfect Mother's Day gift, and I think it's great value for money for a truly unique gift. The mug can be personalised in three ways... the hot drink, the name and the alcoholic drink can all be chosen specifically to suit the recipient.

There are also loads of other ideas for Mother's Day gifts at Snapdragon, such as handbag mirrors with personalised embroidered pouches (from £8), Mother's Day quote mugs (£15) and personalised notebooks (£6.50). 

Bracelet by Lily Belle, £49

There are some absolutely gorgeous personalised jewellery items over at Not On the High Street, such as this nude leather and rose gold wrap bracelet from Lily Belle.

Nude Leather and Rose Gold Wrap Bracelet

Personalised Family Illustration by PrintableWallStory on etsy, from approx £40

I've seen a number of illustrated family prints on the internet and I think this would be such a thoughtful gift for Mother's Day. 

Custom illustration by PrintableWallStory on etsy

If you are looking for some more ideas, then there's also my Christmas Gift Guide for the ladies which has some suggestions that would also work for Mother's Day... perfume, make-up etc.

What's On - Burns Night

For those of you that don't know, it's Burn's Night on 25th January and to celebrate the life and poetry of Robert Burns many Scots will be eating haggis and drinking whisky at Burns Suppers around the country.

Have you made plans to celebrate yet? I've got a few ideas for you...

Bairns Brave Burns Lunch at The National Piping Centre

Big Burns Supper in Dumfries just got bigger! It's the world's biggest Burns Night celebration. There are loads of events on up until 31st January including Hamish the Haggis's Mini Burns Supper for the kids.

Hue & Cry are also playing a gig on Sat 31st January. I grew up listening to the Hue & Cry brothers and vividly remember writing about them in one of my primary school jotters as we spotted them one weekend. I spelt the name wrong, and my teacher had to correct it! I still enjoy listening to 'Looking for Linda' every so often *sings* Never stop looking, never stop looking... Such good memories!

There is also a super handy Six Step Guide on hosting your own Burns Supper which you will find here. And there's also this post over at Life With Munchers with some food, decor and activities that you should take a peek at.

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For other ideas on activities to try at home, have a look at an older post of mine on 30 Braw Things to do Before You're Three.

{Halloween Fun}

My kids are at the age now where Halloween is lots of fun. We've been busy deciding what to dress up as for the school disco and I think we'll try and visit a few of the neighbours too whilst we're at it!

I thought I'd share with you a few of my Halloween finds...

First up is an event in Glasgow being held this weekend by Rowdy Roddy Vintage at The Sparkle Horse, 16 Dowanhill Street. It's a free event with Halloween games, pumpkin carving, home decor, costumes and more.

There's also a Baby Loves Disco 'Boogie Halloween' event at Hummingbird on 2nd November, 1-3pm and a Pop Lock-In at the same venue, same date for 4-11 year olds at 4-6pm. Have a peek here for more details.

I've also come across some tasteful Halloween decor... we're not having a party so I'm not going to go crazy, but I might put up a couple of garlands and try and carve a pumpkin. My cousin Scott creates the most amazing pumpkins each year, and hopefully he won't mind me sharing the one he made last year...

Tinkerbell! Isn't this so cool!! I'll be attempting a more straight forward design!

John Lewis is one of my favourite department stores, and they have loads of Halloween goodies. This tissue paper garland is great value at just £2.50:

Tissue Paper Pumpkin Garland from John Lewis

I also love this felt ball garland from Violet and Percy:

Halloween Felt Ball Garland, £8

These bat garlands and tassel garlands are also amazing:

Velveteen Babies Bat Garland from Molly Meg, £17.50

My Little Day Black Tassel Garland, £12.50

If we don't get time to bake any Halloween inspired cakes for the neighbours (I've ordered some bat shaped sugar sprinkles and edible wafer cake toppers!), then these Hotel Chocolat treats from John Lewis are ideal as a wee favour.

Yikes Milk Chocolate Treats, £2.50

I've got some other Halloween ideas over on this old post and there's also some ideas on my Halloween Pinterest board, which you will find here.

Halloween - do you love it or hate it?

{Abracadabra - Mum's Magic Tricks}

I am the Queen of multi-tasking.

As a single working parent I can be found juggling a number of balls, and yes sometimes they get dropped (I'm obviously speaking metaphorically... the children - they've never been dropped thankfully!), but I have a few tricks up my sleeves that help me along the way! (Unfortunately I don't have a trick to magic away the last few pounds I'm trying to shift!).

I always have a pack of finely chopped veg in my freezer and I can throw this into meals such as spaghetti bolognese or chilli to make sure we are getting our 5 a day.

In my kitchen I have these plastic pots hanging up for the kids cutlery. It's resolved some storage issues but also when it's time for dinner I can just take this cutlery pot down for them and pop it on the table so they can set the table themselves. Likewise, when we're baking the other pot comes down.

The kids have their own hooks in the hallway for hanging jackets so when it's time to get ready for the nursery run we know where our jackets and bags are and they can grab everything they need themselves.

Another trick of mine is a bright lipstick. On days when we're rushed and things aren't going to plan, 2 minutes to apply some lippy and it transforms my face and gives me a confidence boost. That is magic!!

We were sent a special pack from RBS with some other inspiring tricks for us busy mums...

We love a reward sticker!

Genius - using a cupcake case to stop drips from an ice lolly!

Using an egg carton to keep the paint colours separate - we normally stick our paint onto a plate which can end up very messy!!

Using a lidded plastic cup for spill-free painting and a shower curtain on the floor to stop the floor being ruined!

It always amazes me the power that my mobile phone has. There seriously is an app for (nearly!) everything and digital banking is no different.

I've been using the RBS app for a long time now and love it's functionality. It saves so much time being able to check balances and transfer funds on my phone rather than having to use 'the big computer'.

Easy payments and transfers
I can pay the nursery bill on my phone in just a few simple steps (the first time you want to pay someone you need to set them up as a payee in Digital Banking using your card reader, but once that's done it's straightforward).

Check account balances on-the-go
I have a spreadsheet on my Mac which helps me keep track of my outgoings (you do know I love a good spreadsheet!) and I can keep track of my balance daily on my phone. It literally takes a minute.

Get cash out without your card
I tried this yesterday for the first time. I actually can't quite believe that you can access cash from a hole in the wall without using your card. You get a Cash Code sent to your phone which has to be entered into the cashpoint. It's totally secure... to log into the app itself you need a special code that you choose yourself and plus you'd have to crack my code to get into my phone first! And then at the cashpoint you also have to enter other security details as well as the Cash Code. Might sound a bit complicated but I can assure you that it is simple.

So tell me, where do I collect my crown? ;-)

This project is in conjunction with BritMums for their #MumsMagicTricks challenge with RBS.

{Home Inspiration - Blackboard Wall}

I'm seriously considering painting a wall in my kitchen with blackboard paint. Vicky - you are to blame for this!!

I've been scouring Pinterest for ideas, and it's really spurring me on to go ahead with it. Some of the walls are beautiful. I'm thinking I could also add some of my Instagram prints to the wall with washi tape.

Here are some of the photos I've pinned:

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{New House - The Bathroom}

The bathroom of my new house needed a bit of TLC.

The ceiling height is very low & as a result the shower over the bath isn't high enough for me (I'm just under 6 foot). The shower is also pathetic compared to the powerful ones I'm used to. But for now the shower is the least of my worries (I've had a variety of house problems since moving in... the roof, sewage, leaking pipes....).

Anyway, when I moved in there was horrific green linoleum and a horrible looking mirror on the wall. Thankfully the suite is white and the wall tiles are cream. So it's not taken too much to get it looking nice :)

I had some new lino put down from Vallance Discount Carpets on Clarkston Road (a recommendation from a friend of mine, and they were excellent). What a difference that made!!

Since then I've now changed the mirror to an Art Deco style bevelled mirror from Homebase and added a few shelves and an additional mirror (the one above the sink is too low for me to stand in front of!).

Before!

Before!

The bathroom now :-)

Much better!

Another new mirror & shelving

My mum collected shells, and so you'll find a number of them in my bathroom!

Some luxuries that have been gifted to me along with some more shells!

Yet another shell!

I still need to sort out my storage, or lack thereof. In my head I would love a wooden vintage style display cabinet but I'm yet to find one that has the correct dimensions.

I also plan to paint the teal coloured mosaic tiles a bright lime green... just so they match the colour scheme a bit better.

Isn't amazing though what a couple of little touches can do!

Glasgow Mummy on Instagram :-)

{#ShareAdvent - "Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store"}

Today's #ShareAdvent prompt comes from The Grinch...

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Hear, Hear!!

I love this time of year because (the majority of) people are enjoying themselves, smiling, laughing and spending lots of time with family, friends and other special persons ;-)

We had a festive afternoon tea party at the weekend, which I'm going to share in a separate blog post as I've managed to check off another item off my 35 at 35 list! Yay!!

But it got me thinking of other ideas for having festive parties...

It's National Christmas Jumper Day tomorrow, so why not throw an 'Ugly Sweater' party! This could be purely for the grown ups, but would equally work well for a family party I think! If you were going all out, you could even invite Social and Cocktail over and I'm sure they could easily whip up some festive cocktails that would suit the occasion! I'm putting this on my to-do-list for next year!

Or perhaps a stylish hot chocolate party? I'm a big fan of hot chocolate!! {image source}

Looks amazing!!!! Proper hot chocolate!

Serve hot chocolate in little glass milk bottles dressed up to look like snowmen... tres cute and perfect for a family soiree! 

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My last suggestion is a Christmas movie night, with popcorn in clear plastic cups, again to look like snowmen! Ideal for a family night in...

CreativeKidSnacks.com {image source}